$64$ is $4$ times the difference between Sarah's age, $a$, and $44$. Assume Sarah is older than $44$. Write an equation to determine Sarah's age $(a)$. Find Sarah's age.
Let Sarah's age be $a$. The difference between $44$ and Sarah's age is $a-44$. $4$ times the difference is $4(a-44)$. Since the total equals $64$, let's set this equal to $64$ : $ 4(a-44)=64$ Now, let's solve the equation to find Sarah's age $(a)$. $\begin{aligned}4(a-44)&=64\\&\\ \dfrac{4(a-44)}{{4}}&=\dfrac{64}{{4}}&&\text{divide both sides by ${4}$}\\ \\ a-44&=16\\ \\ a-{44}{+44}&=16{+44}&&{\text{add }} {44} \text{ to both sides}\\ \\ a&=60\end{aligned}$ The equation is $4(a-44)=64.$ Sarah's age is $60$.